Meet Ricko DeWilde: Life Below Zero's most authentic hunter and father
'Life Below Zero' star and Athabaskan hunter, Ricko DeWilde, has lived in the Alaskan wilderness most of his life. His ancestors survived on hunting, fishing, and gathering, and he is passing the culture and survival skills to his children. He told Cowboys & Indians in 2019:
I don't belong in Alaska. I belong to Alaska. I don't own land in Alaska. Alaska owns me. I'd be lost if I moved away.
Source: Instagram
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Ricko DeWilde grew up away from civilisation in the icy Alaskan woods alongside 13 siblings.
- He balances his Native American traditions with the modern world by raising his children in Fairbanks and his family's remote ancestral lands in the North Fork of the Huslia River.
- Ricko Wilde showcases subsistence hunting and fishing on the Life Below Zero reality series.
Ricko DeWilde's profile summary
Full name | Ricko DeWilde |
Date of birth | July 4, 1975 |
Age | 50 years old (as of January 2026) |
Place of birth | Huslia, Alaska |
Parents | Lloyd and Amelia DeWilde |
Current residence | Fairbanks, Alaska |
Heritage | Mixed Koyukon Athabascan Indian and Welsh |
Children | Skyler, Keenan, Simone, Skarlett, Maya, Sarah |
Siblings | 13, including Selina Alexander, La'ona DeWilde, Lee, Victor, Riba, Alan |
Profession | Hunter, reality TV personality, entrepreneur, activist |
Net worth | Approx. $100,000–$500,000 |
Social media |
Ricko DeWilde's Alaskan Native heritage
Ricko was born to his late parents, Lloyd and Amelia DeWilde, outside the village of Huslia on the North Fork of the Huslia River in Alaska. His father had Welsh roots from San Francisco and had moved to Alaska for a different life. His mother was a Koyukon Athabaskan Indian from Alaska.
DeWilde is the third youngest of 14 children and was raised in the woods away from humans until he was 18. Their parents opted for homeschooling while teaching them the traditional Koyukon Athabaskan lifestyle.
The DeWilde family would engage in activities like farming, trapping, gathering, fishing, and hunting to survive. He writes on his website that the family made yearly trips downriver on a sprucewood boat to Huslia, a town of 275 people, for supplies and mail.
Source: Original
Ricko DeWilde struggled with addiction
When DeWilde eventually joined the rest of civilisation, he found himself addicted to opiate painkillers. He even spent two years in jail on drug possession charges in the early 2000s. He told Cowboy & Indians in January 2019 that incarceration and returning to his roots helped him heal and remain sober.
Is Ricko DeWilde married?
Ricko DeWilde's wife is said to be Rona Vent, but it is unclear if they are married or in a long-term relationship. Rona maintains a private life with occasional appearances on the hunter's social media.
The couple has six kids, including two sons, Skyler Blue and Keenan Nulitna, and four daughters, Simone (born in June 2004), Skarlett Haze, Maya Denae, and Sarah (born October 26, 2005).
DeWilde is raising his six children in Fairbanks, Alaska, and has ensured that he passes down his Native American culture and traditions to them. He regularly takes them to his traditional lands near Huslia to teach them skills like hunting and fishing.
Source: Instagram
Ricko DeWilde's appearance on Life Below Zero
The Alaska native debuted on the Emmy-winning National Geographic reality show Life Beyond Zero in 2018 during season 11. BBC Studios discovered him on YouTube, where he has been sharing moose hunting and Native American culture videos since 2011.
He takes viewers through the traditional Athabaskan ways of life and their survival tactics. Ricko DeWilde's children appear on the show as he teaches them to be independent. Life Below Zero has also featured Natives like Chip Hailstone, Sue Aikens, and Andy Bassich.
Ricko has a Native American-inspired clothing line
In 2007, DeWilde launched Hydz Clothing to sell branded shirts, hoodies, hats, coats, and accessories. He named it after hides because they are the traditional clothing for Native Americans.
The designs on Ricko's merch display the strength and culture of his people blended with modern streetwear. He was inspired to start the apparel line after a Huslia memorial potlatch for his mother, father, grandmother, and eldest sister.
A potlatch celebrates a person's life several years after their death. DeWilde gifted his relatives branded hoodies during the ceremony, and they liked them, motivating him to launch Hydz.
Source: Instagram
DeWilde is a Native American rights activist
The Athabascan Indian hunter is an outspoken advocate for the preservation of subsistence living rights of indigenous Alaskans. In a January 2024 LA Times opinion piece, he wrote against the proposed Ambler industrial mining road through Alaska that would disrupt the natives' existence.
Indigenous people are still fighting for basic rights, protecting our lands and practising our religion and culture. I want my children to be able to live on their traditional homelands. I want them to eat salmon and whitefish, hunt caribou and moose, and practice our ceremonies.
DeWilde uses his appearance on Life Below Zero, social media, and his clothing line to combat Native stereotypes and promote his culture. He shared in his 2019 Cowboys & Indians interview that the traditional way of life of Native Americans was disappearing, and he hopes there will be a balance, even with Western influences.
What happened to Ricko DeWilde's brother Alan?
Alan DeWilde passed away in the Alaskan woods. Ricko visited the cabin where he died during a September 2020 episode of Life Below Zero. He said his brother held their family together, and his death devastated them.
Ricko's sister, Riba DeWilde, an artist who had a history of mental issues, also died in November 2016. She was shot by her son Eli in Tok, Alaska.
Source: Instagram
Conclusion
Ricko DeWilde continues to honour the legacy of Alaskan natives on Life Below Zero and social media. He stands as the bridge between ancient Athabascan Indian traditions and the modern reality of raising the next generation in the wild.
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Source: Briefly News
